a!So since I last wrote lots has happened. The weather calmed down a lot before arriving in cape town although it was still fairly cool outside. We arrived on Tuesday morning at 5:30am and everybody woke up to see the sunrise as we docked. The port of cape town is beautiful, and especially when the sun is rising. It was beautiful to see the city shadowed by table mountain. One striking thing was the number of cranes there were throughout the city. Our interport student told us this before but I still didn’t expect there to be quite so many.
Although we arrived so early we weren’t allowed to disembark until we had attended the mandatory briefing and the port authorities had cleared the ship. After docking we went for breakfast and then to the briefing. By nine they had cleared the ship and we were allowed to disembark. I headed off the boat to meet Al and mom. Conveniently, their apartment was only a ten minute walk from the ship. We went back to the apartment for a bit and I looked through everything they had brought for me (care packages, candy, and some things I had forgotten). At eleven we headed back to the ship for a short tour and lunch. I was able to get them passes to come onboard so they could see how we live at sea. The ship was quiet and we went to the dining room for a quick lunch before I had to go on a field program.
At 1:30 I joined my globalization professor and about forty other students for a trip to the largest township in South Africa, Khayelitsha. Although I was expecting a shanty town, similar to ones I had seen in Caracas, the township was quite different. Formed during apartheid, the townships began as shanty towns but as people began to make more money, they were able to build better houses. There is a wide range of homes from informal huts (with no electricity) to brick houses and B and Bs. There is also amenities within the township such as schools, stores, hairdressers and doctors and healers. Instead of being a place where people were poor and unhappy, I experienced it more as a neighborhood with all kinds of people who were mostly happy and proud of the way they were living.
Our first stop was the Khayelitsha craft market. Although the crafts were beautiful (many scarves, beaded jewelry and paintings) the highlight was the music. A group of men were playing instruments and singing at the front of the market. They were lively and happy singing Bob Marley and Sean Kingston among others. After leaving the craft market, we headed outside to greet the crowd of children that had gathered. As I took some hair elastics out of my backpack to give the children I was mobbed. Although it was hard, the tour guide told us that if the children didn’t line up not to give them any. We then headed into the church pre-school across the road. The children were adorable! They were singing songs in English and also in the local language. We played with them for a few minutes. They really enjoyed ring around the rosie! We then got back on the bus and headed deeper into the township to visit Vicky’s B and B.
Vicky gave us a short speech about how and why she opened her home to visitors, mainly because of her pride in her community. We then toured the small home (2 guest bedrooms and a sitting room) and I was looking at her collection of foreign money and noticed a Bermuda $2 bill. I didn’t have a chance to ask her if she had had previous visitors from Bermuda! At this stop I also got to interact with the children, who were far more polite. They were really excited when I gave them pencils and hair ties. More of the kids here spoke a few words of english, enough to say thank you. The children were all different ages and there was even a girl who looked about 10 looking after a baby. While here we also visited a small pub and spoke with some of the locals there. I was amazed at how friendly and welcoming the people were of white people, even though they were the ones who forced them to leave their homes during apartheid.
We then visited a development center for women. It was a facility that helped women to help themselves. The activities included weaving and other forms of art. I think more facilities need to be set up so that people can use their abilities to support themselves.
We next visited another B and B in another part of the township. The owner was an award winning civil servant who had worked for human rights for many years. Before opening her B and B, she was awarded a scholarship to study at the University of Pittsburg for a year. After returning she opened her B and B, which quickly grew. She encouraged other members of the community to get involved so they could make some money. Women help her to cook for large groups and some even house quests for really large groups. She says that by teaching others how to help themselves she is empowering her people. She was a really good ambassador for the township and South Africa and I would recommend anyone who is travelling to South Africa to stay with her for a few nights. After having tea and pastries, we went on a short walk around the township. All the local children joined us, and we picked them up and piggy packed them while other rode bikes and walked with us. We felt like celebrities because everyone was waving at us and beeping as they drove by.
Our last stop of the tour was to a lookout point. We walked up lots of steps to a platform which overlooked the whole of the township. From here you could see how large it is and also the different types of homes which make it up!
Overall I really enjoyed the tour, especially because of being able to interact with the locals and children!
After we returned to the ship about 6pm I grabbed some clothes and took a quick shower. I met mom and Al and we went for dinner at an Italian restaurant on the pier, finally got to eat some real food (pumpkin ravioli)! After that we went to see the movie 27 dresses in the mall. I had wanted to see it and it turned out to be good, but predictable. After the movie we headed back to the apartment. I spent lots of time on the internet because it was free!
The next day Ally and I woke up early to go on a field program for my geography class. Although I thought it would be pretty boring, it turned out to be very interesting. We boarded the bus and headed East along the coastline. The scenery is breathtaking, with steep cliffs and rocky coves. We stopped in the small fishing harbor of Hout Bay. There we saw boats and a dolphin called pretty boy who was ‘my pet’. When we boarded the bus, there were specimens of kelp in our seats that were being passed around. Ally saw them and yelled gross before quickly throwing them out the door. I had to explain to her that we were supposed to be looking at them and passing them on. It was quite funny! We then continued on to the Cape of Good Hope (or good hopes as ally kept calling it). Of course we took pictures with the sign, but we also learned about tide pool habitats and kelp from the professor. Next we headed to Cape Point where we did a steep hike up to the lighthouse. It was very tiring and proved how unfit I am. I have been going to the gym every day since we left Africa. At the top of the climb, there was a sign post which had the distances to cities all around the world. It was very windy at the top but again, the view was amazing.
After walking down again, we went to the gift shop and canteen to get something to eat. I decided to try some local food so I got some fried dough sticks and kudu. It was like beef jerky but much tenderer! We sat for a while before getting back on the bus to head to lunch. We ate at the black marlin restaurant which was nice. We had line fish. By this time everyone was getting tired because it had been a long day and was very hot. We drove to the Penguin colony, where we viewed some penguins (or statures as ally thought ha ha). None of them were moving except the ones that were mating. It was surreal to see but we didn’t need long there and headed back to the local market before re-boarding the bus. From here we drove through Simonstown back into Cape Town!
Although we were supposed to go on another trip that evening to go to a jazz safari we decided not to and instead poked around the shops and ate the most disgusting pizza I’ve ever eaten. I did discover my new favorite drink at the restaurant though, Appletiser. Its just like sparkling apple juice but very tasty!
On Thursday we went up table mountain in the cable car. It was a pretty scary ascent and descent, but the view from the top was worth the ride. We didn’t stay too long, but took in the scenery and had a few photo opportunities and went back to the car. We were headed to the mall. It was pretty huge! We poked around for a few hours but didn’t buy too much. We especially liked Woolworths, which is very different from the woolys in England. We got some bathing suits and summer things. Many of the stores in the mall were small boutiques which were all very similar. After lunch we jumped back into the car to head to the winelands. We stopped at the Spier winery but unfortunately everything was already closed. We had a short walk around the grounds and then decided to come back later in the evening for dinner.
In the meantime we drove into Stellenbosch to look at more winelands and to see the University. It is a beautiful area, in the shadow of the mountains. After a short tour and getting lost a few times, we headed back to Spier to eat at Moyo. This restaurant had been recommended by friend Jordan, who travelled with semester at sea in 2005. When we arrived without a reservation we were told we wouldn’t be able to eat. No fear though, mom launched into a speech about how we had come all the way from Bermuda to eat here and they found us a table. The restaurant was a recreation of authentic African style. We sat under a large tent and were entertained by local drummers. We had our faces painted and hands washed by the hostess. We even had a wine tasting before choosing which wine to order! Before we started eating ally said to me, “what if the cricket team walked in” (we knew the Bermuda women’s cricket team was playing in a tournament in the area). Next thing you know a lady walks by in a BF and M jacket. Before long we had moved to a bigger table to sit with the two players and two coaches. It was nice to talk to some Bermudians, I have been going through a long withdrawal.
The restaurant was a buffet style, with each station labeled (chicken, seafood, antelope, ostrich etc). After our waiter Gerry explained all the different foods to us, we tackled the huge amount of food. Not surprisingly, ally opted for the chicken and steak, but I went for things that I wouldn’t be able to eat anywhere else. I had antelope and ostrich, as well as vegetables and another carbohydrate dish which I can’t remember the name of! The meal was really delicious and the whole evening was a lot of fun with good food, good wine and good company. We promised Allan, Mary-Ellen and Susie that we would come back to watch their game on Sunday!
On Friday, I had another semester at sea organized trip. At 9am I boarded the bus to experience operation hunger, a non-government organization which works at the grassroots level to provide food for the poor. Our guide Clement had organized for us to do some of the work which he would normally do on a day to day basis. We first went to Greenpark, a township. We went to the crèche, where the children were between 8 months and 4 years old. They were very afraid of us because we were mostly white, and the only white people they had encountered were doctors who gave them needles. It made our task a little more difficult. We created a system of identifying each child, weighing them and recording their weights and then playing with them on the playground once they had been weighed. After we finished at the first crèche we moved to the second and completed the same process. The children were all really cute and everyone enjoyed playing with them. After a quick stop for lunch at the local fast food stop, Wimpy, we headed to a high school to attend their “Mr and Mrs Valentines 2008” fundraiser. After paying our 5 rand we entered the auditorium to the raucous cheers of the students. They seemed to love us, especially when we danced for them and they all cheered. It was fascinating to see how similar these kids were to the kids at home. They were all dancing to the music and joking with each other. When the show finally started, we were in for a treat. It turned out to be a fashion show, featuring couples dressed in red, white and pink. The students cheered loudest for their favorites and booed some. You could definitely see some of the personalities of the students come out as they walked the catwalk. Although we weren’t able to stay until the winner was announced, I really enjoyed the experience of interacting with some kids nearer to my age. It is amazing to witness how poverty has no effect on the spirit or attitude of the people. If we didn’t know the school was in a township, there wouldn’t have been any way to tell that most of the students were poor (they all had camera phones!).
We then returned to Greenpark to present our findings for the morning’s weightings to the community council. During the day we had calculated the children’s ages and plotted their weights on a chart. The meeting opened with some local girls performing a beautiful dance. We were welcome by the council members and then showed them our findings. The improvements since last year were encouraging, with less children being at risk for malnutrition. Clement explained to us that nutrition education and other grassroots programs had helped to educate the people. We left some gifts of school supplies and nutritious food for the community before departing to return to Cape Town. Although I would have liked to do more work for the community while we were there, I enjoyed experiencing the running of operation hunger and would like to return in the future to work for longer.
On Friday night we headed to a local Malay fusion restaurant for dinner. The food was surprisingly good! We had another reasonably early night back at the apartment.
On Saturday morning we headed for the ship to join the Robben Island tour. After walking to the ferry terminal, the tour unfortunately had to be cancelled due to high winds and rough seas. I was quite disappointed because I had wanted to visit Nelson Mandela’s cell (we share a birthday). We decided to take a sightseeing tour on a double decker bus. It was nice to see less touristy parts of the city. We hopped off at green market square, the largest market in Cape Town for a wander round. The market was beautiful and colourful, bustling with tons of people, buying and selling. We had a long walk around, looking at the beautiful jewelry, paintings and scarves. I bought a few souvenirs and some gifts before we grabbed a bite to eat at a sidewalk café. It was nice to sit in the warm sun and just watch the people passing by. We got back on the bus and hopped off at the district six museum. Although it was lots of reading, it was really interesting to read some of the testimonials of people who were forced to move during apartheid. I especially enjoyed seeing the tiny rooms that whole families lived in.
After catching a taxi back to the apartment, we spent the afternoon relaxing. I made some phone calls home, which was very refreshing! Ally and I then found a nice Italian restaurant in the lonely planet book and we put the name into the neverlost and headed out. The restaurant turned out to be a hit, with great salads and Pizza. I had pizza with spinach, feta and bacon. It was delicious, almost as good as tavern by the sea at home!
On Sunday we headed for Stellenbosch as promised, but ended up in another nearby private boarding school to watch the Bermudian women play cricket. Although they had not won any games, we were optimistic. After fielding first, they were in a good position have gotten all the Papua New Guinea team out for 120. Their batting started off well with Terry but quickly went downhill. The low batting order was disposed quickly and they were all out for about 80. It was disappointing but a beautiful day in the sun and mountains, surrounded by people from home.
After returning to Cape Town, I packed up my stuff and we headed to the ship to dump it all in my room. I then went back off to have a last dinner with the family. We went to a brilliant steakhouse for the last supper. At around 8 30 I headed back onto the boat for the final time after a quick stop at Mac. I said farewell to the family, but it wasn’t too tearful as we all knew how quickly the rest of the trip will go by. I quickly headed to the Union to watch the township choir. Unexpectedly, they were absolutely mid blowing. When they opened their mouths, huge voices came out and they have to be the best live vocals I have ever heard. They sang some Xhosa songs (complete with clicking in between words) and some in English. Everyone got into the music and was clapping and dancing. We were sad when they had to leave, but gave them a standing ovation and huge cheers. It was the perfect sendoff from a country which captivated all of our hearts for 6 days.
Although we were supposed to leave at 11, an announcement was made that there was some fog and we would be delayed. We went to bed expecting to leave during the night but awoke on Monday to find us still at the dock. We left on Monday morning and it was odd to leave during the day light because we usually leave at night. It is back to regular classes now until we arrive in Port Louis, Mauritus on Saturday!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
sorry for the lateness, it wasn't working
We have finally arrived in Salvador de Bahia! What an amazing city this is. The town is built in town levels; upper and lower, accessible by elevator. The elevator is huge and feels like the tower of terror when descending.
To begin the day, we all had a mandatory briefing at 8am. After the ship was cleared by port authorities at approximately 9am, we were free to disembark. There were 6 massive cruise ships at the same dock so getting out of the port was interesting. A group of 14 of us had decided to head into the town and take a walk around. After leaving the port we were hassled by van drivers because of our large group and we all started to disagree about what we wanted to do. In the end we walked down to a nearby tourist market to browse but decided to return to the port to change our currency. After the hour long wait, everyone was tired and sweaty. Temperatures were 32 celcius and everyone was dripping. Some of the group decided to head back to the ship and others headed back into the town. Leah and I decided to hop a taxi to a less touristy market. After arriving there only to find it was closed due to carnaval we checked out a grocery store, bought some flip flops and then headed for yet another market. Although it had been recommended by our interport lecturer, it was very local and smelly. We soon left and headed back to the original tourist market where we had started. We headed upstairs to the balcony for a local lunch. We met some lovely locals, one of which spoke fluent English and he helped us choose our food and drinks. In the end we had a 600ml beer between us and a large shrimp dish which could have fed 6 people. It had manioc and rice served with farofa (flour made from corn). It turned out to be delicious but we could only eat about a third of the dish. After lunch (and receiving our new friend Manuello’s business card with a ‘call me’ and a wink) we headed back into the market. It took some intense bargaining skills by both of us but we came away with some nice, and cheap, souvenirs. We then headed back to the ship before parting ways for our evening excursions.
So the first night in Brazil happened to be the last night of carnaval, the biggest party in the world. Of course everyone wanted to go and there were many options to do so. SAS offered 2 trips; 1 to the main carnaval in a ‘camorote’ or a viewing box above the street, and 1 to pelorinho, a mellower and more traditional carnaval celebration. Of course it is always possible to organize these trips independently, which many people also did. I chose to do the more traditional carnaval because it was a field program for one of my classes and also ended earlier so I could get back to the ship in time to pack for the Amazon. I had a great time in Pelorinho, it felt very safe and the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. After walking to the upper city and having a brief guided tour of the area, the group headed for a local restaurant for a cold drink. While we were there, a float (the name for a performance group) came down the side street. We were able to watch from the balcony of the restaurant which was really cool. The atmosphere of carnaval is the most enjoyable thing and it is good to see everyone celebrating a common cause and putting differences aside. It felt like one of those movies when everyone is out on their balconies waving in the streets. After leaving the restaurant, I headed back out into the streets with two other girls and we just bought beer from the street vendors and danced to the music as the floats went by. I felt as though a lot of the students were very nervous about being robbed and drew attention to themselves because of it. They had talked to us about pick pocks and the like so I felt that if it was going to happen then it was going to happen. There were a few instances at the main carnaval circuit where people fought back and ended up in scuffles with the locals. The whole time though I felt very safe and didn’t have any problems with pickpockets. At ten o’clock, we headed for the giant elevator to go back down to the lower city to get to the boat. During carnaval it is free but normally it costs 10 cents. After catching the shuttle back to the bus, I headed up to my cabin to finish packing and to enjoy my last shower before four days of filth. I must have been in there for at least 45 minutes! It was difficult not to succumb to exhaustion and lie down for a few minutes but I forced myself to stay awake to be sure I wouldn’t miss my amazon departure. Not only the heat but the fast pace of carnival was enough to wear anyone down!
The group of 60 students met in the union at one in the morning before leaving for the amazon. He group was then divided into two boats of 30. I knew a few people going on the trip but it turned out that none of them were on my boat. It was a golden opportunity to meet some new people. Everyone was half asleep and delirious. After getting our passports and departure cards sorted we headed to the Salvador airport, about a 45 minute drive. Everyone, without exception, was fast asleep when we arrived at the airport. Once inside it was hard to tell that it was 2am. All the shops were open and the lights were bright. We had already been checked in so headed straight for the gate. Passing through security was a slight worry because we all had bottles of water, suncream and bug spray. After scanning my bag, they felt like they needed to search it. I was angry because it was packed so tightly I would never be able to get it zipped up again. So they searched and dug and all they wanted was a nail clippers, which turned out to be fine in the end. I was left to try and repack my bag. I ended up having to put some stuff into another backpack because I could not fit it all back in. I got really frustrated but it didn’t make a difference because they didn’t speak English anyway.
We finally boarded the flight about 2am. The plan was fairly average, although a little less comfortable than air Canada. I was exhausted and pretty much slept the whole time, including right through breakfast. Breakfast was hard bread with a spreadable cheese with a guava pastry. I ended up eating it in the Rio airport while waiting to re-board the flight. Because of the time change, our layover was only about an hour and I again slept in this time. We then boarded for our longer flight to Manaus. This time the plane was huge (BA style) with TVs in the head rests and tons of movies and TV shows. Once again we got a small meal, a sandwich, fruit and bread. I slept through this meal also but ate it after I woke up. We were all relieved when we arrived in Manaus and our guides were there to greet us. It helped that no one checked bags so we didn’t have to wait for that. We quickly boarded the coach destined for the boat. After getting out of the airport the guide realized he had left his bag so we had to go back. Finally we were on the road. I’m not sure how long the ride was because I once again slept. It was a torrential downpour the whole way.
When we arrive at the ‘dock’ it was still pouring so we all put our rain coats on. We walked down the dock but had to walk through the water to get to the pontoon which the boat was docked to. Everyone was miserable because it was wet and cold and we were all tired from travelling all night. We were welcome with some delicious snacks and local dancers. They gave us each a feathered necklace and a straw hat. By the time we left the dock the rain had begun to stop. At this time I was thinking I was in for a hell of a 3 days if it was going to be like this the whole time. What had I gotten myself into? We proceeded to the meeting of the waters where the Rio Negro meets the lighter coloured river. The boundary is very distinct and the waters don’t mix due to differing densities and pHs. By this time everyone had given up on staying dry and was out on the open deck to take pictures. After staying here for a few minutes we continued down the river. It was a good chance to meet some of the people on the boat. After about an hour we reached a small town. Here we were to board smaller boats to go Piranha fishing and to search for Alligators. We waited about an hour to go for the rain to stop. It is interesting that every single town we visited had a gift shop selling jewelry and carved items. We finally boarded the small boats covered in bug spray. We headed into a tributary of the river to look at the large Victoria water lilies. On the way there we were bombarded by local children in canoes with animals (snakes, monkeys and alligators). They encouraged us to take pictures of them and wanted money in return. Once we arrived at the lilies they were huge. They were able to support 10 pounds without sinking. Some of the measured up to 4 feet across. One of the boats broke down here so we had to wait while they changed the boat.
It was now late afternoon and the light was dimming so we headed deeper into the tributary to fish for piranhas. It was quite boring at first because no one was catching anything. Once we began to catch them (I was the first one) they were pulling them out of the water every 10 seconds. The guides kept the fish in the bottom of the boat to later use to entice the alligators. While stopped here we saw some pink dolphins. Although they are fairly common, we were lucky to see them up close. Once it went dark our guides sat on the front of the boats with flashlights searching for Caymans (small alligators). They shone the lights along the coastline. When the light reflects in the eye of the Cayman, it is red. When the guide signaled, the driver guided the boat towards to Cayman. The guide then lay flat on their stomach on the front of the boat and attempted to snatch them up by their necks. Tonight we caught 2 Caymans. The highlight (although terrifying) of the night was when they passed the Cayman around. The boy at the front of our boat freaked and dropped the beast into the bottom of the boat. Just my luck it crawled right at me and crouched under my seat chomping its jaws. I was petrified and could not move. Finally the guide grabbed its tail just as it was about jump and consume me. After returning the Caymans to the water we headed back to the riverboats for dinner.
The food on the trip was fantastic. Each day we had fresh caught fish, fresh fruit, breads, pasta, and other meats as well as fresh fruit juices and coffee. I had brought lots of granola bars in case the food was bad but I was pleasantly surprised. After dinner at about 8 30 we all headed for our hammocks, exhausted from the busy day.
Sleeping in a hammock was an interesting experience. Many people really enjoyed it and bought their hammocks but I didn’t. It wasn’t a horrible experience but it wasn’t the most comfortable sleep I’ve had. I tend to sprawl out when I sleep but I couldn’t do this in a hammock, I had to sleep like a banana because the hammocks were so close to each other. Both night I slept fairly well though because of the soothing rocking of the hammocks and the sounds of the jungle in the background. The morning was always the worst part because I was very stiff and we were woken up by the sun. After rising early we were rushed to eat breakfast so we could begin our day’s activities. Breakfast was interesting, lots of fruit and bread. It was a little heavier than I was used to but enjoyed it nonetheless.
We began the morning with a rainforest hike accompanied by two local men from a nearby town. One hiked barefoot through the forest and the other told stories of having fought an anaconda in his canoe a few weeks before. The hike was fairly easy (being the experienced hiker that I am haha) but extremely hot. We had to wear long pants because of the bugs and everyone was dripping with sweat by the end of the hike. It was beautiful though and we were taught about many interesting facts and species as we went along. In particular, the guides showed us which plants were used for medicinal uses and which were used to make gunpowder. After the 2 hour hike we headed back to the boat for another delicious lunch.
After lunch we docked on an island to visit the village of Acajatuba. The people were Indians and had only been living there for 20 years. We were first welcomed by the chief and then took a walk around the island to see the houses, school, church, hospital and yes, a gift shop. It was really cool to see how the people survived with little influence from the outside world. They grew all their own food and lived very simple lives. There were only 20families here but everyone seemed to be really happy and I didn’t get a sense that they valued material objects one bit. Before leaving, we played a soccer game against the locals and played with the local children. They were fascinated with digital cameras and us taking pictures of them. Although it was swelteringly hot, it was really fun and something you must do when in Brazil. To cool off, some people swam in the river before the boats left, but I chose not to swim as the water was very brown and dirty.
After heading down the river some more we again boarded the small boats to head into the jungle to look for Cayman. This was far more exciting than the first night, even though we didn’t catch anything. Much of the time we couldn’t use the motor because the grass was so thick. We got stuck at least 5 times and had to rock the boat to get free. At one point we went through a wooded area that was pitch black. I was just imagining a giant anaconda emerging from the water and swallowing the whole boat. A little scary but we made it though. Once we were on a more clear part of the river we again looked for Caymans and spotted more pink dolphins. The most amazing thing about this night was the number of stars we could see. Everyone ended up lying on their back in the canoes to watch the shooting stars and look for constellations. Because it was so dark, you could see more stars than I’ve ever seen in my life. It was amazing.
When we returned to the boat they had set up a beautiful beach barbeque for us, complete with tiki torches and fireworks. We first enjoyed a delicious meal while watching the fireworks (one malfunctioned and almost took out the guides). After dinner they played music and we learned how to dance the local dance. Before leaving we had a tug of war between the two boats. Our boat, named Cupuasu (a fruit) dominated and won the girls round and the mixed round. After this we did limbo and played musical chairs. It was a really fun night and a good way to spend our last night on the river.
After retiring to the boats, we again spent the night in the hammocks and awoke for an early breakfast. We headed out in the small boats once again to fish for Piranhas. We did not have a guide in our boat so we fished in virtual silence because our driver didn’t speak any English. Although we only caught one fish, we were able to see an otter. It barked at us as we took pictures of us, apparently out boat was too close to its baby. The otter was far less friendly than the ones at the aquarium and the guide signaled that it might jump into the boat and bite us. That was encouraging as he called it closer to the boat.
Next we headed onto land for another hike. This one was scheduled to be shorter, simply to take a look at another type of forest. Well it turned out to be about 2 hours because we got lost. How many people can say they have been lost in the rainforest? We again were taught about various animals and plants and were taught how to climb trees and make fans out of palm leaves. When we finally found the boats we were all exhausted and very relieved, not to mention hungry. Before going back to the riverboat we stopped in a small Manioc producing village. Manioc is much like potato which is used to make flour and tapioca (which I despise). After demonstrating the process, we were able to try fresh Brazil nuts, which were much better than I expected. At the souvenir shop I bought a few small things to remember the trip.
After returning to the riverboat we had another delicious lunch and then headed to another village. Here we barely interacted with the people and headed straight for the gift shop. I decided to head to the grocery store to see if they had anything interesting. I discovered they were selling Havaiana flip flops for 6 reals. This is about 4 dollars so I bought 2 pairs. The same flip flops cost upwards of twenty dollars in Canada. After a short visit we then headed to a beach for some swimming. I was reluctant but felt I should be able to say that I had swam in the Amazon. The water was like a bath tub, although very dark brown. It was odd that there were small trees growing in the water so it was difficult to walk without being touched by plants. I was kinda freaked out by this but enjoyed it nonetheless. We played volleyball with one of the guides in the water before boarding the boat again via a very rickety gang plank. Because the weather was beautiful, we sat in the sun for a bit reading. We were heading back to Manaus now so I decided to take a shower in the outdoor shower. It was really nice to be somewhat clean after 3 days of not showering. I packed up all of my stuff (only had one more bag then when I arrived) and then went downstairs for our farewell dinner. It was leftovers from lunch time but still did not disappoint. After dinner we exchanged emails with the guides and shared stories from our trip. Our last stop was a hotel near Manaus where we stopped to view a show. The show was quite boring but it was nice to be in some sort of civilization. By 11pm when we left, everyone was about ready to head back to the ship after 4 exhausting days. We unloaded in Manaus, thanking the boat staff and guides for a great trip. We boarded the bus and headed for the airport.
Many people were sick at this point, either with sun stroke, food poisoning or other ailments. I was fine thankfully. Once we arrived at the airport we had to check in. This took a painfully long time because their computer system was down. After finally going through, we waited to board the plane to Brasilia. Unfortunately I was given a middle seat for both legs of the journey and therefore got minimal sleep. This journey was far worse than the outgoing journey because everyone was tired and dirty. When we finally got back to Salvador, we headed straight for the ship. I had a long shower and then headed to the port to make some phone calls and use the internet. After a short time I was feeling sick from all the travelling and lack of sleep so headed back to the ship. I just relaxed for the afternoon before heading to the bye bye Brazil barbeque in the evening. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was really nice, a great way to end our stay in Brazil.
After the barbeque, Leah and I headed back to the room to watch a movie but didn’t get very far before we fell asleep.
We are back into the routine of classes and having some exams and tests because we are a quarter of the way through classes already. It is hard to believe but the trip is flying by. Our next stop is South Africa where I will meet with Al and mum. I am excited to do some day trips here, like visiting Robben island among other things.
Tomorrow is Neptune day! I will leave it a surprise whether I will be shaving my head or not, I have not yet decided but I guess you will all see in may whether I have or not! Until next time xo
Today is Neptune Day. We were awoken at some ridiculous hour by drums and symbols and people screaming and banging on our door. Being the morning person that I am, I rolled over and went right back to sleep. Around nine we headed up to the top deck where people had just finished swimming in fish guts and were shaving their heads. This is the tradition! I was a little upset that they had already emptied the pool because it was something that I wanted to say I’d done. Unfortunately because it is so rough today, they had to empty the pool earlier than planned. Surprisingly, there are lots of girls who are shaving their heads. Most went all the way but some left really short hair cuts. One of my friends shaved her head and was going to send the hair in a box to her parents. I think my mom would faint if I did that, not to mention how my hairdresser would feel! The weather today is very rough so the boat is rocking a lot. It is the roughest the water has been so I think a lot of people will be sick. This made it very difficult for the hair cutters who were sliding around the deck. I find it amazing that so many girls would shave their heads. In the rush of the moment it may seem great but next week when you wake up with no hair, that is a totally different story. My philosophy is that I have spent so much time and effort (and money) on my hair, why shave it if I’m only going to grow it to how it is now right away. If I had plans to keep it short for a while then I may have given it a shot.
One thing that I have noticed about this ship being mostly Americans is the pace of life. Coming from Bermuda, everything moves at a slower more relaxed pace, which I much prefer. A lot of the time I feel very rushed and it’s hard and a little frustrating that no one else understands that not everything has to be done at the same time. Especially on the ship this is the case, but in port it tends to be the opposite. I want to get off and see the countries while everyone else wants to dally around waiting for everyone. It has definitely gotten better as we go on and I feel people are getting more laid back as we go!
I thought I should say a little more about how rough it is today. Apparently we are crossing the mid Atlantic ridge! It started last night when I woke up because the boat was creaking. I have never seen waves this big in real life before. It is really hard to walk on the boat, you feel like a pinball bouncing off walls and other people the whole time. In bed, you can feel the pressure being shifted from you head to your feet as we rock sideways. Everything that was on our sidetables and on the window sill is now on the floor. Even some of the drawers open and close with the waves. At dinner things slide around and off the tables. When we are in port next I will post some videos so you can see better! I have some tests coming up and its hard to imagine how I will be able to study if it stays like this. It is supposed to be worse in the next few days before we get to cape town!
To begin the day, we all had a mandatory briefing at 8am. After the ship was cleared by port authorities at approximately 9am, we were free to disembark. There were 6 massive cruise ships at the same dock so getting out of the port was interesting. A group of 14 of us had decided to head into the town and take a walk around. After leaving the port we were hassled by van drivers because of our large group and we all started to disagree about what we wanted to do. In the end we walked down to a nearby tourist market to browse but decided to return to the port to change our currency. After the hour long wait, everyone was tired and sweaty. Temperatures were 32 celcius and everyone was dripping. Some of the group decided to head back to the ship and others headed back into the town. Leah and I decided to hop a taxi to a less touristy market. After arriving there only to find it was closed due to carnaval we checked out a grocery store, bought some flip flops and then headed for yet another market. Although it had been recommended by our interport lecturer, it was very local and smelly. We soon left and headed back to the original tourist market where we had started. We headed upstairs to the balcony for a local lunch. We met some lovely locals, one of which spoke fluent English and he helped us choose our food and drinks. In the end we had a 600ml beer between us and a large shrimp dish which could have fed 6 people. It had manioc and rice served with farofa (flour made from corn). It turned out to be delicious but we could only eat about a third of the dish. After lunch (and receiving our new friend Manuello’s business card with a ‘call me’ and a wink) we headed back into the market. It took some intense bargaining skills by both of us but we came away with some nice, and cheap, souvenirs. We then headed back to the ship before parting ways for our evening excursions.
So the first night in Brazil happened to be the last night of carnaval, the biggest party in the world. Of course everyone wanted to go and there were many options to do so. SAS offered 2 trips; 1 to the main carnaval in a ‘camorote’ or a viewing box above the street, and 1 to pelorinho, a mellower and more traditional carnaval celebration. Of course it is always possible to organize these trips independently, which many people also did. I chose to do the more traditional carnaval because it was a field program for one of my classes and also ended earlier so I could get back to the ship in time to pack for the Amazon. I had a great time in Pelorinho, it felt very safe and the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. After walking to the upper city and having a brief guided tour of the area, the group headed for a local restaurant for a cold drink. While we were there, a float (the name for a performance group) came down the side street. We were able to watch from the balcony of the restaurant which was really cool. The atmosphere of carnaval is the most enjoyable thing and it is good to see everyone celebrating a common cause and putting differences aside. It felt like one of those movies when everyone is out on their balconies waving in the streets. After leaving the restaurant, I headed back out into the streets with two other girls and we just bought beer from the street vendors and danced to the music as the floats went by. I felt as though a lot of the students were very nervous about being robbed and drew attention to themselves because of it. They had talked to us about pick pocks and the like so I felt that if it was going to happen then it was going to happen. There were a few instances at the main carnaval circuit where people fought back and ended up in scuffles with the locals. The whole time though I felt very safe and didn’t have any problems with pickpockets. At ten o’clock, we headed for the giant elevator to go back down to the lower city to get to the boat. During carnaval it is free but normally it costs 10 cents. After catching the shuttle back to the bus, I headed up to my cabin to finish packing and to enjoy my last shower before four days of filth. I must have been in there for at least 45 minutes! It was difficult not to succumb to exhaustion and lie down for a few minutes but I forced myself to stay awake to be sure I wouldn’t miss my amazon departure. Not only the heat but the fast pace of carnival was enough to wear anyone down!
The group of 60 students met in the union at one in the morning before leaving for the amazon. He group was then divided into two boats of 30. I knew a few people going on the trip but it turned out that none of them were on my boat. It was a golden opportunity to meet some new people. Everyone was half asleep and delirious. After getting our passports and departure cards sorted we headed to the Salvador airport, about a 45 minute drive. Everyone, without exception, was fast asleep when we arrived at the airport. Once inside it was hard to tell that it was 2am. All the shops were open and the lights were bright. We had already been checked in so headed straight for the gate. Passing through security was a slight worry because we all had bottles of water, suncream and bug spray. After scanning my bag, they felt like they needed to search it. I was angry because it was packed so tightly I would never be able to get it zipped up again. So they searched and dug and all they wanted was a nail clippers, which turned out to be fine in the end. I was left to try and repack my bag. I ended up having to put some stuff into another backpack because I could not fit it all back in. I got really frustrated but it didn’t make a difference because they didn’t speak English anyway.
We finally boarded the flight about 2am. The plan was fairly average, although a little less comfortable than air Canada. I was exhausted and pretty much slept the whole time, including right through breakfast. Breakfast was hard bread with a spreadable cheese with a guava pastry. I ended up eating it in the Rio airport while waiting to re-board the flight. Because of the time change, our layover was only about an hour and I again slept in this time. We then boarded for our longer flight to Manaus. This time the plane was huge (BA style) with TVs in the head rests and tons of movies and TV shows. Once again we got a small meal, a sandwich, fruit and bread. I slept through this meal also but ate it after I woke up. We were all relieved when we arrived in Manaus and our guides were there to greet us. It helped that no one checked bags so we didn’t have to wait for that. We quickly boarded the coach destined for the boat. After getting out of the airport the guide realized he had left his bag so we had to go back. Finally we were on the road. I’m not sure how long the ride was because I once again slept. It was a torrential downpour the whole way.
When we arrive at the ‘dock’ it was still pouring so we all put our rain coats on. We walked down the dock but had to walk through the water to get to the pontoon which the boat was docked to. Everyone was miserable because it was wet and cold and we were all tired from travelling all night. We were welcome with some delicious snacks and local dancers. They gave us each a feathered necklace and a straw hat. By the time we left the dock the rain had begun to stop. At this time I was thinking I was in for a hell of a 3 days if it was going to be like this the whole time. What had I gotten myself into? We proceeded to the meeting of the waters where the Rio Negro meets the lighter coloured river. The boundary is very distinct and the waters don’t mix due to differing densities and pHs. By this time everyone had given up on staying dry and was out on the open deck to take pictures. After staying here for a few minutes we continued down the river. It was a good chance to meet some of the people on the boat. After about an hour we reached a small town. Here we were to board smaller boats to go Piranha fishing and to search for Alligators. We waited about an hour to go for the rain to stop. It is interesting that every single town we visited had a gift shop selling jewelry and carved items. We finally boarded the small boats covered in bug spray. We headed into a tributary of the river to look at the large Victoria water lilies. On the way there we were bombarded by local children in canoes with animals (snakes, monkeys and alligators). They encouraged us to take pictures of them and wanted money in return. Once we arrived at the lilies they were huge. They were able to support 10 pounds without sinking. Some of the measured up to 4 feet across. One of the boats broke down here so we had to wait while they changed the boat.
It was now late afternoon and the light was dimming so we headed deeper into the tributary to fish for piranhas. It was quite boring at first because no one was catching anything. Once we began to catch them (I was the first one) they were pulling them out of the water every 10 seconds. The guides kept the fish in the bottom of the boat to later use to entice the alligators. While stopped here we saw some pink dolphins. Although they are fairly common, we were lucky to see them up close. Once it went dark our guides sat on the front of the boats with flashlights searching for Caymans (small alligators). They shone the lights along the coastline. When the light reflects in the eye of the Cayman, it is red. When the guide signaled, the driver guided the boat towards to Cayman. The guide then lay flat on their stomach on the front of the boat and attempted to snatch them up by their necks. Tonight we caught 2 Caymans. The highlight (although terrifying) of the night was when they passed the Cayman around. The boy at the front of our boat freaked and dropped the beast into the bottom of the boat. Just my luck it crawled right at me and crouched under my seat chomping its jaws. I was petrified and could not move. Finally the guide grabbed its tail just as it was about jump and consume me. After returning the Caymans to the water we headed back to the riverboats for dinner.
The food on the trip was fantastic. Each day we had fresh caught fish, fresh fruit, breads, pasta, and other meats as well as fresh fruit juices and coffee. I had brought lots of granola bars in case the food was bad but I was pleasantly surprised. After dinner at about 8 30 we all headed for our hammocks, exhausted from the busy day.
Sleeping in a hammock was an interesting experience. Many people really enjoyed it and bought their hammocks but I didn’t. It wasn’t a horrible experience but it wasn’t the most comfortable sleep I’ve had. I tend to sprawl out when I sleep but I couldn’t do this in a hammock, I had to sleep like a banana because the hammocks were so close to each other. Both night I slept fairly well though because of the soothing rocking of the hammocks and the sounds of the jungle in the background. The morning was always the worst part because I was very stiff and we were woken up by the sun. After rising early we were rushed to eat breakfast so we could begin our day’s activities. Breakfast was interesting, lots of fruit and bread. It was a little heavier than I was used to but enjoyed it nonetheless.
We began the morning with a rainforest hike accompanied by two local men from a nearby town. One hiked barefoot through the forest and the other told stories of having fought an anaconda in his canoe a few weeks before. The hike was fairly easy (being the experienced hiker that I am haha) but extremely hot. We had to wear long pants because of the bugs and everyone was dripping with sweat by the end of the hike. It was beautiful though and we were taught about many interesting facts and species as we went along. In particular, the guides showed us which plants were used for medicinal uses and which were used to make gunpowder. After the 2 hour hike we headed back to the boat for another delicious lunch.
After lunch we docked on an island to visit the village of Acajatuba. The people were Indians and had only been living there for 20 years. We were first welcomed by the chief and then took a walk around the island to see the houses, school, church, hospital and yes, a gift shop. It was really cool to see how the people survived with little influence from the outside world. They grew all their own food and lived very simple lives. There were only 20families here but everyone seemed to be really happy and I didn’t get a sense that they valued material objects one bit. Before leaving, we played a soccer game against the locals and played with the local children. They were fascinated with digital cameras and us taking pictures of them. Although it was swelteringly hot, it was really fun and something you must do when in Brazil. To cool off, some people swam in the river before the boats left, but I chose not to swim as the water was very brown and dirty.
After heading down the river some more we again boarded the small boats to head into the jungle to look for Cayman. This was far more exciting than the first night, even though we didn’t catch anything. Much of the time we couldn’t use the motor because the grass was so thick. We got stuck at least 5 times and had to rock the boat to get free. At one point we went through a wooded area that was pitch black. I was just imagining a giant anaconda emerging from the water and swallowing the whole boat. A little scary but we made it though. Once we were on a more clear part of the river we again looked for Caymans and spotted more pink dolphins. The most amazing thing about this night was the number of stars we could see. Everyone ended up lying on their back in the canoes to watch the shooting stars and look for constellations. Because it was so dark, you could see more stars than I’ve ever seen in my life. It was amazing.
When we returned to the boat they had set up a beautiful beach barbeque for us, complete with tiki torches and fireworks. We first enjoyed a delicious meal while watching the fireworks (one malfunctioned and almost took out the guides). After dinner they played music and we learned how to dance the local dance. Before leaving we had a tug of war between the two boats. Our boat, named Cupuasu (a fruit) dominated and won the girls round and the mixed round. After this we did limbo and played musical chairs. It was a really fun night and a good way to spend our last night on the river.
After retiring to the boats, we again spent the night in the hammocks and awoke for an early breakfast. We headed out in the small boats once again to fish for Piranhas. We did not have a guide in our boat so we fished in virtual silence because our driver didn’t speak any English. Although we only caught one fish, we were able to see an otter. It barked at us as we took pictures of us, apparently out boat was too close to its baby. The otter was far less friendly than the ones at the aquarium and the guide signaled that it might jump into the boat and bite us. That was encouraging as he called it closer to the boat.
Next we headed onto land for another hike. This one was scheduled to be shorter, simply to take a look at another type of forest. Well it turned out to be about 2 hours because we got lost. How many people can say they have been lost in the rainforest? We again were taught about various animals and plants and were taught how to climb trees and make fans out of palm leaves. When we finally found the boats we were all exhausted and very relieved, not to mention hungry. Before going back to the riverboat we stopped in a small Manioc producing village. Manioc is much like potato which is used to make flour and tapioca (which I despise). After demonstrating the process, we were able to try fresh Brazil nuts, which were much better than I expected. At the souvenir shop I bought a few small things to remember the trip.
After returning to the riverboat we had another delicious lunch and then headed to another village. Here we barely interacted with the people and headed straight for the gift shop. I decided to head to the grocery store to see if they had anything interesting. I discovered they were selling Havaiana flip flops for 6 reals. This is about 4 dollars so I bought 2 pairs. The same flip flops cost upwards of twenty dollars in Canada. After a short visit we then headed to a beach for some swimming. I was reluctant but felt I should be able to say that I had swam in the Amazon. The water was like a bath tub, although very dark brown. It was odd that there were small trees growing in the water so it was difficult to walk without being touched by plants. I was kinda freaked out by this but enjoyed it nonetheless. We played volleyball with one of the guides in the water before boarding the boat again via a very rickety gang plank. Because the weather was beautiful, we sat in the sun for a bit reading. We were heading back to Manaus now so I decided to take a shower in the outdoor shower. It was really nice to be somewhat clean after 3 days of not showering. I packed up all of my stuff (only had one more bag then when I arrived) and then went downstairs for our farewell dinner. It was leftovers from lunch time but still did not disappoint. After dinner we exchanged emails with the guides and shared stories from our trip. Our last stop was a hotel near Manaus where we stopped to view a show. The show was quite boring but it was nice to be in some sort of civilization. By 11pm when we left, everyone was about ready to head back to the ship after 4 exhausting days. We unloaded in Manaus, thanking the boat staff and guides for a great trip. We boarded the bus and headed for the airport.
Many people were sick at this point, either with sun stroke, food poisoning or other ailments. I was fine thankfully. Once we arrived at the airport we had to check in. This took a painfully long time because their computer system was down. After finally going through, we waited to board the plane to Brasilia. Unfortunately I was given a middle seat for both legs of the journey and therefore got minimal sleep. This journey was far worse than the outgoing journey because everyone was tired and dirty. When we finally got back to Salvador, we headed straight for the ship. I had a long shower and then headed to the port to make some phone calls and use the internet. After a short time I was feeling sick from all the travelling and lack of sleep so headed back to the ship. I just relaxed for the afternoon before heading to the bye bye Brazil barbeque in the evening. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was really nice, a great way to end our stay in Brazil.
After the barbeque, Leah and I headed back to the room to watch a movie but didn’t get very far before we fell asleep.
We are back into the routine of classes and having some exams and tests because we are a quarter of the way through classes already. It is hard to believe but the trip is flying by. Our next stop is South Africa where I will meet with Al and mum. I am excited to do some day trips here, like visiting Robben island among other things.
Tomorrow is Neptune day! I will leave it a surprise whether I will be shaving my head or not, I have not yet decided but I guess you will all see in may whether I have or not! Until next time xo
Today is Neptune Day. We were awoken at some ridiculous hour by drums and symbols and people screaming and banging on our door. Being the morning person that I am, I rolled over and went right back to sleep. Around nine we headed up to the top deck where people had just finished swimming in fish guts and were shaving their heads. This is the tradition! I was a little upset that they had already emptied the pool because it was something that I wanted to say I’d done. Unfortunately because it is so rough today, they had to empty the pool earlier than planned. Surprisingly, there are lots of girls who are shaving their heads. Most went all the way but some left really short hair cuts. One of my friends shaved her head and was going to send the hair in a box to her parents. I think my mom would faint if I did that, not to mention how my hairdresser would feel! The weather today is very rough so the boat is rocking a lot. It is the roughest the water has been so I think a lot of people will be sick. This made it very difficult for the hair cutters who were sliding around the deck. I find it amazing that so many girls would shave their heads. In the rush of the moment it may seem great but next week when you wake up with no hair, that is a totally different story. My philosophy is that I have spent so much time and effort (and money) on my hair, why shave it if I’m only going to grow it to how it is now right away. If I had plans to keep it short for a while then I may have given it a shot.
One thing that I have noticed about this ship being mostly Americans is the pace of life. Coming from Bermuda, everything moves at a slower more relaxed pace, which I much prefer. A lot of the time I feel very rushed and it’s hard and a little frustrating that no one else understands that not everything has to be done at the same time. Especially on the ship this is the case, but in port it tends to be the opposite. I want to get off and see the countries while everyone else wants to dally around waiting for everyone. It has definitely gotten better as we go on and I feel people are getting more laid back as we go!
I thought I should say a little more about how rough it is today. Apparently we are crossing the mid Atlantic ridge! It started last night when I woke up because the boat was creaking. I have never seen waves this big in real life before. It is really hard to walk on the boat, you feel like a pinball bouncing off walls and other people the whole time. In bed, you can feel the pressure being shifted from you head to your feet as we rock sideways. Everything that was on our sidetables and on the window sill is now on the floor. Even some of the drawers open and close with the waves. At dinner things slide around and off the tables. When we are in port next I will post some videos so you can see better! I have some tests coming up and its hard to imagine how I will be able to study if it stays like this. It is supposed to be worse in the next few days before we get to cape town!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
almost in Brazil
So it is now Saturday night! We didn’t have class today because it was photo day. Each university/college on the ship got a picture of all the students from there. There are five of us from Queens! Yesterday was a regular class day and pub night in the evening. The weather was terrible as it has been for the last couple of days! After a few drinks, people were dancing in the rain. At pub night, they sell just wine and beer on the top deck near the pool. It is very packed but fun because everyone goes. After pub night a group of us came back to our room for dance party 08. We pumped up the ipod and danced until about 1am. Our neighbors weren’t too happy but it was a great time. Everyone is called it dance party 08 in the dirty 69. (our room is 3069 and everyone calls it the dirty 69).
Today we woke up about 11 and went for some lunch shortly after. It was boiling out today because we were going to cross the equator this afternoon. It was typical tropical weather, bright sun one minute and pouring the next. More of the same to come when I’m in the Amazon I’m sure. At about 2:40 we crossed the equator, which was very exciting. The only other time I have been in the southern hemisphere is when we went to Kenya. I took lots of pictures so those will be soon to come. We are back to class again tomorrow, a shame we won’t get to see the giants end the patriots streak. Please post on here the score and everything so I can keep updated. We reach Brazil on Tuesday morning. I will be spending the day in Salvador and then checking out Carnaval in the evening. At 1am on Tuesday I will be flying out for my Amazon adventure. More about that later!
I have just started to plan my trip in Japan. My friend Yukari, who came on exchange to BHS lives there and is going to show me and few friends around. We want to see Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kobe and Tokyo. Hopefully 4 days will be long enough to see all the sights!
Today we woke up about 11 and went for some lunch shortly after. It was boiling out today because we were going to cross the equator this afternoon. It was typical tropical weather, bright sun one minute and pouring the next. More of the same to come when I’m in the Amazon I’m sure. At about 2:40 we crossed the equator, which was very exciting. The only other time I have been in the southern hemisphere is when we went to Kenya. I took lots of pictures so those will be soon to come. We are back to class again tomorrow, a shame we won’t get to see the giants end the patriots streak. Please post on here the score and everything so I can keep updated. We reach Brazil on Tuesday morning. I will be spending the day in Salvador and then checking out Carnaval in the evening. At 1am on Tuesday I will be flying out for my Amazon adventure. More about that later!
I have just started to plan my trip in Japan. My friend Yukari, who came on exchange to BHS lives there and is going to show me and few friends around. We want to see Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kobe and Tokyo. Hopefully 4 days will be long enough to see all the sights!
Friday, February 1, 2008
At Sea!
Ok so as I write this, I am having trouble remembering what I have already written in previous posts so please forgive me if I repeat myself. As I ended last time, we were leaving San Juan. It is now Thursday night (we left San Juan on Monday night) and until this morning, the seas were remarkably calm. This morning though, the waves picked up as we are approaching and passing a storm this evening and through the night. Tonight we will lose another hour (since we are going East around the globe) and we will cross the equator sometime tomorrow morning (there will be a picture on facebook, don’t worry).
We are now in full swing of classes, having survived a horrendous add and drop period. On Tuesday, we completed our first B day, and I had only one class. I spend the remainder of the day sorting out field trips up until India and choosing the courses that I would add and drop the next day.
On Wednesday morning, I awoke at 5am to line up at the registrars office for add and drop. Because there are limited spaces in each course and most of the ship wants to change their classes, the line was long. People began lining up at 9pm the night before complete with pillow, blankets, movies and snacks. As you know, nothing can pry me from my mattress, so I figured by 5am I would still be within the first few diehards. Wow was I wrong! Despite my extremely early rising, I was given number 37. Beginning at 7am, each person went into the registrars office and made the necessary changes. Because there was no guarantee time, I had to keep checking back through the morning. If you missed your number, you had to go to the back of the line (which was number 260 by 11am). I ended up having to miss a class and my number was finally called at 11.50pm. I dropped cultural tourism (far too much reading and homework) and picked up human effects on costal systems and globalization and social change. After that I went to the bookstore to exchange my text books. Both courses seem very interesting, and I now have 2 courses on A days and 2 on B days, unlike the 3 and 1 that I had before. It seems like I made a good choice because I have now been to both of the courses that I added and they are interesting and not too difficult. I am happy that I am finally settled into classes and can finally get down to some work (yeah right).
On Wednesday evening, I decided to go to a seminar to learn a little Portuguese (because they speak that in Brazil). Although I was exhausted, I managed to learn a few phrases and was given a sheet with useful vocabulary. I will now be able to ask for a bottle of sparkling water brought to the table with the top on. Apparently this is necessary. I was more interested in learning how to ask for directions and where the bathroom is, which I also learnt. I figure this will be useful in Bermuda at some point too!
After this, I went to my room and passed out at 10pm.
This morning I woke up early to go to my 8am class. Surprisingly, I stayed awake for the whole thing! In my next class, at 9:20, I didn’t stay awake. I found my head dropping about every 3 minutes and almost fell off the chair at least once. Although I have plenty of sleep, the gentle rocking motion of the ship is the equivalent of a sleeping pill. Combined with the padded arm chairs that decorate most of the classrooms, they form the perfect sleeping circumstances.
By noon I was finished classes and had lunch with some friends. After this I went to the pursers desk to complete the entry forms for the various countries we will visit (about 10 of them, and requiring a college degree to complete properly)! After doing that I was once again pooped and returned to my cabin for a rest. Turns out I picked up my book (my sister’s keeper, thanks to auntie Sue) and read for a while. Since being on the ship, I have never read so much. I finished the book this evening (400pgs). I don’t think I’ve ever actually read that many pages in my life before (on the school reading logs, I was one of the kids that wrote the same books down year after year and read maybe 1 a summer out of the required 8). If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it.
The last exciting occurrence of the day was receiving the statement of confirmed trips. Surprisingly, I received all but 2 of the trips I had signed up for. I am especially excited about the Beijing/Xi’an trip I will take in China. More about that later. My roommate and I are now going to watch a movie “empire records”. She is from upstate New York and listens to slow, harmonic music. She hates my riddim star and ‘gangster’ music as she calls it, but says that at least we will both be more cultured by the end of the trip. We are still getting along pretty well!
We are now in full swing of classes, having survived a horrendous add and drop period. On Tuesday, we completed our first B day, and I had only one class. I spend the remainder of the day sorting out field trips up until India and choosing the courses that I would add and drop the next day.
On Wednesday morning, I awoke at 5am to line up at the registrars office for add and drop. Because there are limited spaces in each course and most of the ship wants to change their classes, the line was long. People began lining up at 9pm the night before complete with pillow, blankets, movies and snacks. As you know, nothing can pry me from my mattress, so I figured by 5am I would still be within the first few diehards. Wow was I wrong! Despite my extremely early rising, I was given number 37. Beginning at 7am, each person went into the registrars office and made the necessary changes. Because there was no guarantee time, I had to keep checking back through the morning. If you missed your number, you had to go to the back of the line (which was number 260 by 11am). I ended up having to miss a class and my number was finally called at 11.50pm. I dropped cultural tourism (far too much reading and homework) and picked up human effects on costal systems and globalization and social change. After that I went to the bookstore to exchange my text books. Both courses seem very interesting, and I now have 2 courses on A days and 2 on B days, unlike the 3 and 1 that I had before. It seems like I made a good choice because I have now been to both of the courses that I added and they are interesting and not too difficult. I am happy that I am finally settled into classes and can finally get down to some work (yeah right).
On Wednesday evening, I decided to go to a seminar to learn a little Portuguese (because they speak that in Brazil). Although I was exhausted, I managed to learn a few phrases and was given a sheet with useful vocabulary. I will now be able to ask for a bottle of sparkling water brought to the table with the top on. Apparently this is necessary. I was more interested in learning how to ask for directions and where the bathroom is, which I also learnt. I figure this will be useful in Bermuda at some point too!
After this, I went to my room and passed out at 10pm.
This morning I woke up early to go to my 8am class. Surprisingly, I stayed awake for the whole thing! In my next class, at 9:20, I didn’t stay awake. I found my head dropping about every 3 minutes and almost fell off the chair at least once. Although I have plenty of sleep, the gentle rocking motion of the ship is the equivalent of a sleeping pill. Combined with the padded arm chairs that decorate most of the classrooms, they form the perfect sleeping circumstances.
By noon I was finished classes and had lunch with some friends. After this I went to the pursers desk to complete the entry forms for the various countries we will visit (about 10 of them, and requiring a college degree to complete properly)! After doing that I was once again pooped and returned to my cabin for a rest. Turns out I picked up my book (my sister’s keeper, thanks to auntie Sue) and read for a while. Since being on the ship, I have never read so much. I finished the book this evening (400pgs). I don’t think I’ve ever actually read that many pages in my life before (on the school reading logs, I was one of the kids that wrote the same books down year after year and read maybe 1 a summer out of the required 8). If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it.
The last exciting occurrence of the day was receiving the statement of confirmed trips. Surprisingly, I received all but 2 of the trips I had signed up for. I am especially excited about the Beijing/Xi’an trip I will take in China. More about that later. My roommate and I are now going to watch a movie “empire records”. She is from upstate New York and listens to slow, harmonic music. She hates my riddim star and ‘gangster’ music as she calls it, but says that at least we will both be more cultured by the end of the trip. We are still getting along pretty well!
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